| Description |
x, 372 p. ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (p. 333-350) and index. |
| Contents |
When does a person become a corpse? -- The human nature of a cadaver -- The legal status of the postliving : do corpses have rights? -- Decomposition of the body and efforts to slow its disintegration -- Final disposal of human remains -- Eternal preservation of the deceased : literally and figuratively -- The cadaver as supplier of used body parts -- The cadaver as teacher, research subject, or forensic witness -- The cadaver as parent -- Body snatching, then and now -- Desecration of human remains -- Public display and the dignity of human remains -- Don't neglect the fate of your remains. |
| Summary |
This volume chronicles not only a human corpse's physical state but also its legal and moral status, including what rights, if any, the corpse possesses. The author argues that a corpse maintains a "quasi-human status" granting it certain protected rights-both legal and moral. One of a corpse's purported rights is to have its predecessor's disposal choices upheld. This work reviews unconventional ways in which a person can extend a personal legacy via their corpse's role in medical education, scientific research, or tissue transplantation. The author outlines the limits that post-mortem "human dignity" poses upon disposal options, particularly the use of a cadaver or its parts in educational or artistic displays. Contemporary illustrations of these complex issues abound. |
| Subject |
Dead bodies (Law)
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Human body -- Law and legislation.
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Dead -- Legal status, laws, etc.
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Burial laws.
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Offenses against the person.
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Sacrilege.
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| ISBN |
9781589016958 (hbk. : alk. paper) : $26.95 |
|
1589016955 (hbk. : alk. paper) |
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